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TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY POLICY

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What Hurts Most About Ted Cruz's Change of Heart

September 28, 2016
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The Glenn Beck Program

I wanted to clear up a few things about my perspective on Senator Ted Cruz, our on-air conversation and how the media is covering this.

Ted Cruz is a dear friend and my hope is that we will always be dear friends. He is a tremendous senator for the great state of Texas, and I look forward to voting for him in 2018.

RELATED: Glenn Questions Ted Cruz on What It Means to ‘Vote Your Conscience’

Cruz's endorsement of Donald Trump is his to make, and I really do not begrudge him his choice. I know the senator well, and I know this was not an easy decision for him, nor one he took lightly.

As it relates to my endorsement of Senator Cruz, if you go back to the radio show or the transcript, you will see/hear/read very clearly that I was NOT suggesting that in hindsight I SHOULD have endorsed Senator Rubio. It was far more nuanced than that (and I think far more clear than that). I think the transcript says it all, but just in case --- here is the point I was trying to make.

Ted is one of the most decent men I have ever met. He is objectively brilliant --- even according to the "liberal" professor/lawyer Alan Dershowitz. He comes from a good family that cares about our country and our Constitution. He has a number of amazing qualities as a man and as a senator. But, like all of us, he has his weaknesses.

RELATED: The Gift Ted Cruz Gave Us

As a "politician," he could be better. To many onlookers, he does not come off as approachable or real (though --- and I truly mean it --- he is much different in person). He does not instantly connect with people, especially at a distance. He is eloquent, but in a very academic way. As someone explained to me, if you want someone to argue in front of the Supreme Court, he is as good as it gets. But if you want someone to make your case in front of a jury of your peers, you could probably do better.

In my opinion, Senator Cruz has one quality that very few people in politics have, that for me was and is more important than all else. Principles. When people would make the argument that Senator Cruz is self-interested or self-aggrandizing or a me-first politician, I would argue with them and defend Senator Cruz as a man of supreme principles with no give and a backbone of steel.

RELATED: Those Standing on Principle Are in Good Company

On the other hand, there's Senator Rubio --- a strong conservative, though not AS strong as Cruz. BUT, he is a tremendous politician. He is charismatic, interesting, interested and all those soft qualities that great politicians have.

If I was going to endorse a politician, meaning someone who was conservative/constitutional/libertarian ENOUGH --- AND who had an easier path to the White House, I would have endorsed Senator Rubio (someone I could have easily pulled the lever for --- as well as others, like Senator Paul and others).

But I did not want to endorse a politician. I never have and never will.

I believe(d?) Senator Cruz was different. (I put the "d?" because I do not know nearly enough at this time.) That does NOT mean I don't admire the man. That does NOT mean he's not a great Senator. That does NOT mean he wouldn’t make a great president. And that does NOT mean I wouldn’t vote for him for all of the above. But, once you remove the unshakable and unmovable principles from his quiver, he is a politician --- which is fine, just not someone I would endorse in the primaries, nor campaign for.

As a reminder, I had NEVER before endorsed someone in the primaries. This was a unique experience for me.

The endorsement itself was hard on me for a number of reasons --- and these are MY issues, not the Senator’s and not anyone else’s. I won’t get into all the details on this topic (there is a lot to unpack), but these are my main concerns:

1) Are we to vote our conscience or is it a binary choice?

Cruz's sudden push to vote for Trump seemed like a dramatic shift from his previous "vote your conscience" clause (which is fine, it is his choice). However, I also felt like it was a slap in the face to people like me, who understand the calculus (it is ultimately binary since one of these candidates will be the president), but who reject the premise we HAVE to choose.

Again, this is not Cruz's fault I feel this way, but this is how I feel (and what I projected onto him) and why I reacted as I did.

2) What changed?

From my perspective, nothing has changed since the courageous decision to not endorse Trump at the RNC. Everything the senator has listed as reasons to endorse Trump now were known to him then. I would have been much more comfortable with the change of heart if Cruz said he prayed on it (which I know he did), he and his family forgave Donald Trump (as an aside, did Donald ask for forgiveness?) and #neverhillary. Okay.

I have said for a long time now, I do not know the right answer. I am very comfortable with people like Governor Jindal, Mark Levin and many others saying, "Trump is not a conservative, there is a lot I don’t like about him as a candidate or a possible president, but he is better than Hillary."

RELATED: Glenn: For the First Time, I Heard Ted Cruz Calculate

I am still not comfortable with my choice and might never be. I am sickened that I don’t have someone I am willing --- let alone want --- to vote for.

With all of that said, I do not repudiate nor regret my decision to both endorse and campaign for Senator Cruz. I don’t like where we are today (all of it) and know we would be in a far better position if Senator Cruz was the GOP nominee.

This election has been hard on all of us (on both sides of the aisle and beyond). If Ted and I can’t figure out how to stand together 100% of the time just because we only agree 95% of the time, then the two of us have some work to do --- on ourselves and as friends.

Featured Image Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) (R) speaks to members of the media as radio talk show host Glenn Beck (L) looks on at Morningstar Fellowship Church February 11, 2016 in Fort Mill, South Carolina. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Hunter's Biden's latest BIZARRE scandal reveals how red-flag laws REALLY work

Photo by Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Even if red-flag laws weren't unconstitutional (which they are), they've never been about your safety. They're about your submission, argued Glenn Beck on the radio program. Think of it this way: If red flag laws became the law of the land, do you think President Joe Biden’s son Hunter would lose his guns or face charges for violating the gun laws we already have?

You may have heard that he once "lost" a gun in a dumpster by a school. But there's a whole lot more to the bizarre tale. Newly revealed texts from Hunter's abandoned laptop detail the strange drama that unfolded when Hallie Biden, Hunter's sister-in-law-turned-lover, threw his handgun into a dumpster near a Delaware school in October 2018. The gun was found and turned in to police, but like so many of the Biden family scandals, the chaos created a sandstorm that conveniently helped cover Hunter's tracks. Only tidbits of information have emerged, the most significant of which is that the gun in question was purchased by Hunter illegally and, of course, no charges were filed as a result.

Glenn broke down the details of the most recently revealed Hunter Biden scandal, noting in particular that no charges or arrests were ever made as a result.

"If you voted for Joe Biden and you believe in all of these red-flag laws, then why isn't Hunter Biden in jail today?" Glenn asked.

"You and I both know that the ramifications of Hunter Biden's activities and his tragic saga go well beyond Hunter Biden, because they are teaching people a lesson. We are moving towards a society that has a ruling class that lives above their own edicts. They tell us they know better. They tell us that our neighbors and even some of us are dangerous, while ignoring the dangers in their own lives or in their own families ... We saw it during COVID-19 and we will see it again with gun regulations, 'The rules are for thee and not for me.' This is why Americans cannot give an inch, not one inch of our liberty away on the grounds of the government's good faith. They have no good faith left. They have violated every single principle of liberty and they've done it in a name of they know better," he said.

"Don't be fooled," Glenn added. "Just as we saw during COVID-19, just as we saw with the Patriot Act that is now being horribly abused by the people in power that swore they'd never abuse it, red-flags are not about your safety. Period. They are about your submission."

Watch the video clip below to catch the conversation. Can't watch? Download the podcast here.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Biden admin takes aim at ammunition plant with ‘INSIDIOUS’ plan to sidestep gun rights

Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Thanks to a recent report from the Federalist, we now know of an ‘insidious’ White House plan to significantly alter commercial sales of ammunition. Not only would this plot skyrocket the price of ammunition for everyday consumers, but it could create a national security risk by limiting one factory’s ability to produce for the military under war-time demand as well.

Larry Keane, from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, joined "The Glenn Beck Program" to detail this White House move, and he explained how he knows the government is lying about it, too.

Watch the video clip below to catch the conversation. Can't watch? Download the podcast here.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Glenn Beck: Here's why we must ABOLISH the Department of Education NOW

2021 was a turning point for public education in America. Remote learning revealed to parents what public schools were force-feeding their kids — everything from critical race theory to the existence of infinite genders — while performance in subjects like math and reading fell across the board.

Now, school boards and teachers' unions are facing a tidal wave of parents who want to take the reins back. But school wasn’t always like this. Glenn Beck takes us back to a time before the Department of Education and asks the question: “Are our schools getting better or worse?”

American Federation for Children senior fellow Corey DeAngelis joins to expose who’s actually benefitting from our public school system — and it’s not our kids. And former Secretary of Education under President Trump Betsy DeVos explains why it’s time to abolish the department she once headed, what stopped her from doing so, and how parents can make a big difference.

Watch the full episode of "Glenn TV" below:


Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.

AP issues DIRE warning of pro-lifers wielding 'lawn chairs and a cooler' — ignores pro-choice attacks

Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Associated Press has issued a dire warning for abortion providers ahead of the Supreme Court's decision on Roe v. Wade.

According to an article titled "'Heightened alert’: Abortion providers brace for ruling," abortion clinics nationwide are expecting an increase in "protests, harassment, and other violence ... in states where abortion remains legal" if Roe v. Wade is overturned — as a draft opinion leaked in May suggested is likely to happen.

"On the night of last winter’s arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in a case that could end the nationwide right to abortion, people gathered outside a clinic in New Jersey with lawn chairs, a cooler and a flaming torch — a sight that brought to mind lynchings and other horrors of the country’s racist past," the AP article began.

The article did go on to cite two incidents of extreme anti-abortion violence — "the 1993 killing of Dr. David Gunn outside a Florida abortion clinic [and] the 2015 fatal shooting of three people inside a Colorado Planned Parenthood." But there was almost no mention of the ongoing attacks on pregnancy crisis centers by pro-choice activists, including the violent group that calls itself "Jane’s Revenge."

On the radio program, Glenn Beck noted that the closest the current administration has come to calling out Jane’s Revenge was when the Department of Homeland Security published a terror advisory warning of crime on both sides of the Roe v. Wade debate earlier this month. But when was the last time you heard about violent attacks on pro-life centers in the corporate media? There have been several instances of violence by pro-choice proponents, and the Biden administration remains silent.

Watch the video below to hear more from Glenn Beck. Can't watch? Download the podcast here.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.